Understanding the SabbathIhe Atụ

Jesus Is Our Rest

On Day 2 of this Plan, we read and discussed the passage from Matthew 12 where Jesus was walking through some grainfields with His disciples. Matthew 12:1 starts with “at about that time,” which eludes that what was about to happen was happening on the heels of something else. 

If we back up to the end of the previous chapter, we’ll see a popular passage that tends to bring comfort to us as followers of Jesus. Matthew 11:25 starts with Jesus praying to His Father and then in the following verses, He shifts into talking about His Father to the people listening. 

Then Jesus said, “Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you. Let me teach you, because I am humble and gentle at heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy to bear, and the burden I give you is light.” Matthew 11:28-30 NLT

For centuries, the Jewish people held tight to their day of rest being the Sabbath. The other six days were for work. In these three verses, Jesus is telling the people that He is their rest, not a particular day of the week. 

Each day has its own set of struggles and hardships. We have jobs to do, children to raise, relationships to maintain, people to love, and social issues to rectify. Wouldn’t it be freeing to really take Jesus at His word and actually “come to Him” when we’re weary and burdened? To experience His rest “for our souls”? As followers of Jesus, we can do this anytime and don’t have to wait until the Sabbath. 

The principle of the Sabbath is a healthy one that we should implement into our lives. It’s wise to set aside time each week where we stop working to get filled back up. Time where we enjoy the relationships closest to us. But, with Jesus saving us and leading our lives, how amazing is it that at any time on any day in any season, we can experience rest because Jesus is our rest. 

Because He is, we can actually experience Sabbath rest a little each day. Here are some suggestions to incorporate it into our daily lives:

• Begin each day with Jesus. Spend a few minutes centering yourself with Him in mind, asking Him to guide your day, and giving you eyes to see where He’s working. Consider watching the Verse of the Day Story in the Bible App.
• Set aside 15-30 minutes a day to do something that refuels you. Maybe it’s reading a book, spending time with close family and friends, or heading to the gym.
• If there’s something that is weighing you down, stop where you are and commit that to Jesus in prayer. Consider praying, “Jesus, I submit this to you because I know Your yoke is easy and Your burden is light.”